Student Newspaper of the College of the Holy Cross

Donald Trump is not a Feminist, and Neither am I (Here’s Why)

Earlier this week, President Donald J. Trump announced he was not a feminist, according to the British talk show host, Piers Morgan. Morgan tweeted an exchange he had with President Trump, where Trump reportedly told Morgan: “No, I wouldn’t say I’m a feminist. I mean, I think that would be, maybe, going too far. I’m for women, I’m for men, I’m for everyone” (@piersmorgan). And you know what? I am with President Trump on this one.

Before everyone at this liberal institution jumps down my throat (as is what happens at most colleges and universities where diversity of opinion is no longer respected), let me explain why. Like Trump, I also wouldn’t say I’m a feminist. Why should I single out women? That goes too far and, frankly, is illogical considering only 50 percent of the population are women. Also like Trump, I’m for everyone—for men and women both. Feminism wants to equate men and women, not make them equal.

Besides, it would be a loss not to reference the biological, natural, and innate differences between the sexes. There’s a reason why there are fewer women in our workplaces and in the government. It’s because many women prefer to stay home and raise a family. Why do more women want to do this than men? Ask biology. Because men and women are hardwired differently, more men work outside the home to provide for their families (as men have done for centuries), and more women stay home to nurture and care for their families. This is not the result of “women being excluded from places of business” or the so-called “boys club,” which feminists are trying to undo. This is the result of millenniums of human development. We should encourage women to follow their biological impulse and raise their children, and honor all women as mothers, teachers, and protectors.

I’m not saying women should be excluded from the workplace, or offered fewer opportunities than men, only that men should not be overlooked and underrepresented to make room for the feminist movement. Feminism is an extreme example of the “battle of the sexes” when we should be working for a society in which men and women can work alongside each other as equals if they want to. As Suzanne Venker wrote in her Fox Op-Ed, “I’m So Happy Trump’s Not A ‘Feminist,’” it is nice to have a President who understands that “feminism has nothing to do with equality between the sexes” (Suzanne Venker, Fox News, 1/29/2018).

If students read my For Love of Countryarticle this week, I may get a lot of angry responses in next week’s issue. I wrote this article because I want to start a conversation about why I am not a feminist when many of my like-minded peers have to shy away from sharing their beliefs in classrooms where left-leaning opinions dominate. Not being a feminist does not mean that I am “against women” (like all of you, I have a mom!), but it does mean that I want an America where “all men (women included) are created equal.” I think that President Donald J. Trump’s rejection of the feminist label while also stating his belief in the equality of the sexes is a step in the right direction.

If you want to start a conversation about the Feminist movement I encourage you to put your name on your work. People (like me) are willing to have this conversation but I am not going to go out of my way to find you. Be vocal about your beliefs, Holy Cross respects diversity of opinion but it is up to you to voice your opinion and be open to listening to others. Come out and speak YOUR truth.

I think that you have no understanding of the feminist movement and are simply repeating the same old misconceptions that have been tossed about forever. Feminism by sheer definition is about equality. Men and women are not the same. That being said women are entitled to the same opportunities, wages, health research, and the list goes on. That is feminism.

During my year as editor-in-chief of this paper, I made exactly one exception to our policy of refusing anonymous article submissions. That exception was to protect the identity of a student who chose to write about a very personal, private experience with sexual harassment and assault.

I have the utmost respect for the current staff of The Spire, but an anonymity exception should never have been made for an article of this nature–nor for the recurring “For Love of Country” column. If this student fears repercussions for his or her words, perhaps he/she should question the intention behind these articles. On one hand, published with the author’s name, they COULD be the foundation for well-reasoned, well-researched discourse on these divisive topics. As it stands now, published anonymously, they’re really nothing but vehicles with which to spout problematic (and therefore unpopular) opinions without consequence and without any desire for meaningful engagement.

Journalistic integrity can certainly be maintained when publishing anonymously to protect the identity of an author, but in this instance it is wholly inappropriate. If Holy Cross is to be an institution that truly values debate and intellectual discourse on difficult topics, its student leaders need to set an example and bring that debate out from behind closed doors.